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REPORT 


Famine  Conditions  in  North  China 

AND 

Students’  Relief  Work  in  New  York  City 
UP  TO  MAY  6.  1921 


HELP 


CHINESE  STUDENTS  FAMINE  RELIEF  COMMITTEE 
Chai  Lan  Yu,  Secretary 


NEW  YORK  CITY 


CHINESE  STUDENTS’  FAMINE  RELIEF  COMMITTEE 

1921 

New  York  City,  N.  Y. 

HON.  lUMING  C.  SUEZ,  Honorary  Chairman,  Chinese  Consul  General, 
New  York. 

MR.  LEE  TO,  Honorary  Vice-Chairman 

MR.  SOO  MA,  Honorary  Vice-Chairman 
MR.  YU  GW  AN  CHEN,  Chairman 
MR.  CHAI  LAN  YU,  Secretary 
MR.  LIANG  CHAO  CHA,  Treasurer 

' MR.  CHING  YU  CHANG 

MR.  PENG  CHUN  CHANG 
MR.  HSUEH  CHANG  CHOU 
MRS.  JOHN  ll.  CHENG 
MISS  WAN  CHUCK 
MR.  DANIEL  C.  FU 
MR.  PAO  CHIEN  HSU 
MR.  SHEN  HUNG 
MR.  HERMAN  C.  E.  LIU 
MR.  YOHMIN  LOW 
MR.  TSO  HENG  MAI 
MR.  PEI  HSIN  PENN 
MR.  TINGFU  F.  TSIANG 
MISS  YIN  YUE  YANG 
MISS  CHINDON  YUI 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE  OF  1920 

MR.  YU  GW  AN  CHEN,  Chairman 
MR.  HSUEH  CHANG  CHOU,  Secretary 
MR.  CHING  YU  CHANG,  Treasurer 


ANNOUNCEMENTS 

1.  For  speakers  to  speak  in  churches  and  other  organizations  on  North 
China  famine  problems,  please  write  to  Mr.  Herman  C.  E.  Liu, 
Committee-in-charge,  523  West  123rd  Street,  New  York  City,  N.  Y. 

2.  For  more  copies  of  this  report,  please  write  to  Mr.  Chai  Lan  Yu, 
110-112  Morningside  Drive,  New  York  City,  N.  Y. 


WHAT  THE  RELIEF  FROM  AMERICA  HAS  DONE 
FOR  CHINA 

Chili,  Shantung,  Shansi,  Honan,  Shensi,  five  contiguous  provinces 
of  North  China  and  the  seat  of  ancient,  medieval  and  modern  Chinese 
civilization,  today  encounters  one  of  the  world’s  greatest  catastrophes — 
FAMINE.  It  affects  po,ooo  miles  of  land  zvith  a population  of  ^5,- 
000,000  sufferers.  Last  October  the  Chinese  Students  Famine  Relief 


* A Glimpse  of  the  Starving  Millions 

Committee  and,  later,  the  American  Committee  and  the  Chinese  Mer- 
chants’ Relief  Committee,  were  organized  to  solicit  funds.  Our  American 
friends  and  Chinese  residents  in  this  country  responded  with  great  rapid- 
ity. More  than  8,000,000  people  were  saved  from  death.  For  this 
bountiful  generosity  the  Chinese  Students  Famine  Relief  Committee  of 
New  York  City,  in  the  names  of  their  fellow-countrymen,  wish  to  express 
their  heartfelt  gratitude. 


But  5,000,000  lives  are  still  to  be  saved  by  help  from  this 
country.  Moreover,  according  to  the  latest  report  (April  21,  1921)  of 
Mr.  Charles  R.  Crane,  U.  S.  Minister  to  China  and  Chairman  of  the 
American  Famine  Relief  Advisory  Committee  in  Peking,  May  and  June 
are  the  worst  and  the  most  critical  months  in  the  famine  districts  of  North 
China.  There  is  great  fear,  he  emphasized,  that  the  wretched  people  in 
their  extreme  desperation  may  eat  up  the  growing  crops  before  their 
harvest,  and  thereby  project  into  another  year  this  terrible  condition. 
Therefore  further  help  is  urgent. 

HELP  A NATION  IN  DISTRESS  TO  SAVE  A VAST  REGION 
FROM  COMMERCIAL,  ECONOMIC,  INTELLECTUAL  AND 
MORAL  COLLAPSE,  AND  STRENGTHEN  THE  EXISTING 
TIES  BETWEEN  TWO  DEMOCRATIC  PEOPLES. 

PLEASE  GIVE  WHATEVER  YOU  CAN— 

3c  saves  one  life  one  day 
$1  saves  one  life  one  month 
$5  saves  one  family  one  month 
$10  saves  three  acres  of  crops  from  devastation 

Make  checks  payable  to  Mr.  Liang  Chao  Cha,  Treasurer  of  the 
Chinese  Students  Famine  Relief  Committee,  Teachers  College,  Colum- 
bia University,  New  York  City. 

REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE 

Since  October  1 0,  1 920 

Formation  and  Aim — On  October  10,  1920,  the  New  York 
City  Chinese  Students  met  at  the  Cathay  Garden  to  celebrate  the  National 
Day  of  the  Republic  of  China.  Availing  themselves  of  this  occasion,  the 
officers  of  the  Columbia  Chinese  Students’  Club  brought  up  the  discussion 
of  the  Famine  Problem  in  North  China.  To  cope  with  a task  of  such 
magnitude  a special  committee  was  appointed  by  Mr.  Yu  Gwan  Chen, 
President  of  the  Columbia  Chinese  Students  Club.  The  committee’s  aim 
was  to  formulate  plans  for  aiding  the  immediate  relief  of  45,000,000 
sufferers  at  home.  This  Committee  was  reappointed  by  the  new  Pres- 
ident of  the  Club,  Mr.  Kwoh  Neng  Lei,  on  March  6,  1921. 

Activities —The  Committee  in  cooperation  with  the  students 
have  brought  about  the  following  accomplishments : ( 1 ) circulars  were 


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mailed  to  all  local  Chinese  Students  Clubs,  Chinese  Merchants’  organiza- 
tions in  U.  S.  A.  to  urge  them  to  start  Famine  Relief  work;  (2)  a large 
sum  has  been  contributed  by  our  American  friends  and  the  Chinese 
residents  in  New  York  City;  (3)  members  of  the  Committee  were  sent 
to  approach  the  American  Women’s  Organizations  and  the  American 
Famine  Relief  Committee,  to  ask  their  cooperation;  (4)  Speakers  have 
been  sent  to  different  churches  to  speak  on  “The  Famine  Conditions  in 
North  China’’;  (5)  Six  performances  of  a Chinese  play,  “Mu  Lan,’’  have 
been  given  in  the  city  as  well  as  outside;  (7)  a report  on  Famine  Con- 
ditions in  North  China  and  the  Students’  relief  work  in  this  city,  is  now 
published. 


Picture  of  the  Cast  of  a Chinese  Play,  “Mu  Lan,”  Presented  by  the 
Chinese  Students  of  Columbia  University,  N.  Y.  C. 


Special  mention  must  be  made  of  “Mu  Lan,”  because  the  greater 
part  of  our  time  and  energy  has  been  devoted  to  it.  The  play  in  English 
was  written  by  Mr.  Peng  Chun  Chang.  Its  story  was  derived  from  an 
antiquated  but  most  celebrated  anonymous  Chinese  ballad  “Mu  Lan” 
(6th  Century)  and  a Chinese  drama  of  the  same  name.  In  the  interest 
of  those  who  have  not  been  to  our  performances,  a synopsis  of  “Mu  Lan” 
is  given  here. 

In  the  Sixth  Century,  A.  D.,  a barbarian  tribe  from  the  North,  invaded  China. 
Hua  Mu  Lan,  a young  and  charming  daughter  of  a huntsman  in  Shangyi  village, 


3 


perceiving  her  father’s  firm  desire  to  go  to  the  front  and  his  age-tottered  health, 
herself  volunteered,  as  a substitute  for  him,  to  join  the  imperial  troops  in  man’s 
armor.  With  dauntless  spirit  and  masculine  bravery,  she  defeated  the  enemy  and 
became  the  hero  of  the  war. 

For  ten  years  she  served  in  the  army,  first  as  a soldier  and  then  as  a captain. 
None  of  her  comrades  had  any  doubt  as  to  her  genuineness;  nor  did  she  betray  any 
of  her  feminine  qualities.  But  the  spark  of  a romantic  fire  never  ceases  to  kindle 
in  a youthful  mind.  In  one  of  those  weary  campaigns,  she  met  Ho  Tin  Yu,  a 
bra\'e  and  handsome  recruit  of  twenty,  whom  she  cherished  as  her  life’s  ideal. 
After  she  had  declined  the  honors  in  the  court  and  retired  to  her  old 
cottage,  the  emperor  ordered  Ho  Tin  Yu,  now  a general,  to  present  his  imperial 
gifts  in  person  to  the  Joan  of  Arc.  To  his  great  amazement.  Mu  Lan  appeared  in 
her  maiden  dress,  like  an  apparation  in  his  dream.  With  great  bashfulness  she 
said  to  Ho  Tin  Yu,  “General ! Do  you  remember  what  I said  once — ‘Some  day,  may 
be,  you  will  know’?’’  The  play  ends  here  and  the  happy  sequence  is  left  to  the 
reader’s  imagination. 

CAST  OF  MO  LAN — Misses  Ang  Lee,  Eva  M.  V.  Leewah,  Yat 
Kvv'an  Liang,  Hsueh  Feng  Louie,  Susan  Yipsang;  Messrs.  Liang  Chao 
Cha,  Ching  Lien  Chang,  Ching  Yu  Chang,  Ta  Chen,  Chai  Hsuan  Chuang, 
Hsueh  Chang  Chou,  Hsueh  Hsin  Chou,  Tien  Chou,  Tsui  Chi  Chou,  Siu 
Shan  Chung,  Shen  Hung,  Fu  Keng  Jowe,  Chu  Li,  Chin  Hsiang  Meng,  Kai 
Fook  Mok,  Chun  Jien  Pao,  Louis  Sik,  Ching  C.  Tang,  Ju  Yi  Tsai,  Yuan 
Kuang  Wei,  Tsu  Yin  Wen,  Philip  L.  Yuan. 

MOSTCIANS — Messrs.  Shih  YingChu,  leader;  Ching  , Yuan 
Cheng,  Kwoh  Neng  Lei,  Chu  Li,  Pei  Hsin  Penn,  Shutai  T.  Woo,  Tsu 
Yin  Wen. 

STAFF — Messrs.  Shen  Hung,  Director;  Liang  Chao  Cha,  Costume 
Manager;  Ching  Yu  Chang,  Business  Manager;  Hsueh  Chang  Chou, 
Business  Manager;  Tsu  Yin  Wen,  Stage  Manager. 


Contributions  and  Proceeds  from  Mu  Lan 


2 performances  in  Cort  Theatre,  New  York  City $ 3,188.00 

2 performances  in  Century  Promenade,  N.  Y.  City 2,501.00 

1 performance  in  Yonkers,  N.  Y. 654.00 

1 performance  in  White  Plains,  N.  Y 500.00 


Total  : $ 6,843.00 

Special  contributions 5,522.05 


Total  amount  raised  by  Chinese  Students  

Famine  Relief  Com.  up  to  May  6,  1921 $12,365.05 


4 


Four  more  performances  are  to  be  given,  through  special  requests, 
one  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  one  in  Montclair,  N.  J.,  and  two  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 

The  Fund  has  been  deposited  in  the  Corn  Exchange  Bank,  New 
York  City.  Nine  Thousand  Dollars  ($9,000)  have  been  remitted  to  Mr. 
Pao  Chuan  Chen,  Treasurer  of  National  Committee,  China  Famine  Relief 
Fund,  Peking,  China.  The  remainder  will  be  sent  over  to  the  same 
organization,  later,  together  with  funds  from  other  sources. 


THE  NORTH  CHINA  FAMINE,  PAST  AND  PRESENT 

Causes  of  the  Famine — (1)  Failure  of  the  1920  spring 
crops  through  flood;  (2)  Devastation  of  summer  crops  by  locusts;  and 
(3)  Destruction  of  autumn  crops  by  a prolonged  draught. 

There  was  not  a single  drop  of  rain  for  more  than  a year. 

Total  Population  of  Five  Famine  Provinces — Chili,  30,000,000 ; 
Shantung,  38,000,000 ; Honan,  25,000,000 ; Shansi,  10,000,000 ; Shensi, 

8.000. 000;  TOTAL,  110,000,000.  (Total  population  of  U.  S.  A.  114,- 

000,000.) 

Total  Number  of  Sufferers — Up  to  November,  1920,  there  were 

45.000. 000  sufferers  among  whom  15,000,000  were  at  the  verge  of  death. 

Prompt  relief  measures  from  both  Chinese  themselves  and  American 
friends  have  reduced  the  number  to  5,000,000  (April  21,  1921). 

Conditions  of  Suffering — (1)  Scanty  supply  of  food  and  clothes. 

(2)  Houses  wrecked  for  fuel.  (3)  Sufferers  sell  their  farms  and  other 
properties.  (4)  They  auction  off  their  children.  (5)  They  eat  green 
leaves,  bark,  twigs,  chaff,  etc.  (6)  Disease  and  death. 

Some  Famine  Tragedies — (1)  In  Ping  Yuan,  Shantung,  a Mr. 
Wang  sold  all  his  farms  to  support  his  family.  Then  he  pawned 
his  family  bedding.  After  his  last  cash  was  gone,  he  administered  one 
dose  of  arsenic  to  end  his  life.  (2)  In  another  place,  a family  failed  to 
appear  for  several  days.  Neighbors  found  all  doors  tightly  locked. 
Breaking  their  way  in,  they  discovered  no  sign  of  life,  but  three  corpses. 

(3)  In  still  another  village,  three  persons  hanged  themselves  on  a tree. 
Under  it  sat  an  innocent  blind  woman.  She  said  to  the  passerby,  “For 
five  days  I have  had  nothing  to  eat  but  boiled  straw,  and  that  only  once 
a day.” 

WON’T  YOU  HELP  !!! 


5 


RELIEF  WORK  IN  CHINA — (1)  Chinese  government  has 
issued  many  appeals,  guaranteed  free  transportation  of  supplies  for  relief 
work,  and  supervised  the  raising  of  a large  sum  ($750,000  every  month) 
by  levying  a surtax  on  railroad  tickets,  surcharging  3 cents  on  every 
envelope  and  giving  20%  of  the  civil  employees’  salaries.  (2)  Contribu- 
tions: President  Shih  Chang  Hsu — $100,000,  General  Kwun  Tsao- — 
$1,000,000,  General  Suen  Li  (bequest) —$500,000,  Chinese  merchants^ — 
$3,000,000  (one  Chinese  merchant  in  Strait  Settlement  contributed  $1,- 
000,000.  Chinese  Banks  (loan)  $4,000,000,  etc.  (3)  Teachers  and  students 
sent  in  their  money  saved  by  observing  “meatless  days.”  (4)  Tag  days  in 
Peking,  Tientsin,  Shanghai,  Foochow,  Canton.  TOTAL  from  (1),  (2), 
(3),  (4) — $17,000,000  (Mex.).  (5)  Foreign  committee  in  China^ — 

$5,000,000  (Mex.).  (6)  A new  national  drive  has  been  started. 

(Report  of  April  21,  1921.) 

RELIEF  WORK  IN  AMERICA— (1)  President  Harding  and 
Ex-Presidents  Taft  and  Wilson  have  made  three  effective  appeals.  (2) 
Speakers  have  been  sent  to  churches,  Sunday  schools,  Y.  M.  C.  A., 
Women’s  Foreign  Missionary  Societies,  men’s  church  clubs,  etc.,  by  the 
American  Famine  Relief  Committee  to  speak  on  “The  Famine  Conditions 
in  China.”  (4)  Hunger  cards  and  life-saving  stamps  have  been  printed 
and  sold  by  the  American  Committee.  (5)  Large  sums  have  been  raised 
by  the  Famine  Relief  Committee  of  the  local  Chinese  students’  clubs  and 
the  Chinese  Students’  Alliance.  (6)  Special  representatives  have 
been  delegated  to  solicit  funds.  (7)  Amounts  of  money  remitted  to 
China:  (a)  American  Committee — $3,602,891,  (b)  American  Committee 
and  Red  Cross — $1,000,000,  (c)  American  Committee  and  Churches — 
$1,000,000.  TOTAL  from  (a),  (b),  (c)— $5,602,891.  (d)  Chinese 

Merchants  Famine  Relief  Committee  in  New  York  City — $30,000.  (e) 

Chinese  Students  Famine  Relief  Committee,  N.  Y.  C.- — $9,000.  (8) 
Special  mention  must  be  made  of  five  states  having  contributed  above 
$100,000  each:  New  York,  $898,137.67;  Pennsylvania,  $342,777.56; 
Ohio,  $199,672.04;  Massachusetts,  $184,815.33;  and  Illinois,  $116,075.56. 

(Report  of  May  6,  1921.) 


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THE  REPUBLIC  OF  CHINA 


THE  FAMINE  DISTRICT: — Chihli,  Shantung,  Shansi,  Shensi  and  Honan 

The  total  area  of  the  suffering  Provinces  is  equal  to  the  total  area  of  all  the  fol- 
lowing States:  California,  Oregon,  Washington.  Connecticut,  Massachusetts, 
New  Jersey  and  New  Hampshire. 

THE  number  of  suffering  people  in  the.se  Provinces  is  FIVE  TIMES  the  total  pop- 
ulation of  all  the  above  mentioned  States. 


THE  FLOOD  DISTRICT: Hunan,  Che  kiang  and  Fu  kien. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/reportonfamineOOchin 


Send  Whatever  You  Can  Give  to  Keep  the 
Five  Millions  from  Suffering 


I hereby  contribute  $ — 
for  the  Relief  Fund,  payable 

Name 

A ddress 


Make  checks  payable  to  Mr.  Liang  Chao  Cha,  Treasurer  of  the 
Chinese  Students  Famine  Relief  Committee,  Teachers  College,  Colum* 
bia  University,  New  York  City. 


